Simply Benedictine Vol. 48, No. 3 ST. SCHOLASTICA MONASTERY, Fort Smith, AR December, 2019 Message from the Administrator Message from Development Office e now enter into the deeper season of autumn. Our Wfirst of many moments like this take us past what has been while waiting for what will be. As the bright sizzle of summer eases and her colors fade into something cooler and comfortable, we embrace autumn like an old friend. Our time as Benedictines these days ride the pace of the world and all she offers, like the lights of our new monastery in the courtyard cloister, the illumined names of our benefactors on the Forward in Faith donor wall. The entrance foyer is beautifully aglow in the monastic tradition of the stained glass windows of our former chapel. Our life is adorned anew and graceful, like spiritual teachers offering lessons in changing seasons. These delightful things take note of us and us of them as they educate us with her every moment. We live now in a new time, a new space, with new hope. As we walk to the sacred time of Advent and the God gifted time of Christ by Mary’s fiat, where will our own ‘yes’ take us? These give us a chance to start fresh, to forgive, and to be forgiven. Our God knows we need the changes of every season and how vital autumn is to us as we wane down, rest, and recover from the season we just lived through. Take the spiritual course of this shadowed time, the dusk about her, that shows us how to be okay with a less than quickened pace. Let autumn in all her splendor light the lantern of life you lead. Take time to lean into the season profoundly and let her warm you in preparation for the season to come; without refusing the time and her kindness that are offered now. As we celebrate the Advent, we honor the holiness of every person, the memory of those who have gone before us. We are grateful for what has been so generously given to us by our God. We, the Sisters of St. Scholastica, ask God to bless you as we celebrate these holy days. Sister Kimberly Rose Prohaska, OSB Our mission: Seeking God in our life together and enlivened by daily prayer, we, the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, respond to the needs of the people of God in a spirit of hospitality, simplicity, and reverence for one another and all creation. Charism Statement (excerpt): We, the Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery, have responded to a call to seek God by a total gift of self in a religious community of celibate women, who make profession to live the Gospel according to the Rule of Benedict, the norms of the Federation of St. Gertrude, and the norms of the Monastery. By professing stability and fidelity to the monastic way of life, we promise to be faithful to our Benedictine tradition of prayer, work, and leisure, and to be a Christian community where persons are reverenced in their uniqueness and diversity. Message from the Administrator Message from Development Office ince its inception in January 2016, the Capital Campaign has truly been a journey SForward in Faith. Prayers, joined with hard work and enthusiastic response, provided the encouragement to keep our community moving forward. Some major milestones along the road included the Ground Breaking ceremony on May 10, 2017, actual breaking of the ground in August 2017, Dedication of the Chapel on October 7, 2018, first day of living in the building on February 8, 2019, the Blessing ceremony on June 1, 2019, and the the Open House on September 15. We celebrated each milestone as a confirmation of our decision to move Forward in Faith.As we review this journey, we are filled with gratitude for all the people who have helped us reach each of the milestones. There are too many to name individually. We are grateful for all who prepared the way for the actual construction: our capital campaign co-chairs; our consultant; campaign committee members; communications directors; parishes and organizations who responded to our need; over 1,200 friends who contributed over $2,045,000; Alumnae and many other volunteers; and Sister Maria DeAngeli and her staff. Today as we live, pray, and work in this beautiful building, we thank God for the skills of the architect, the general contractor, the many subcontractors, and the interior designer. All worked together to bring to reality our dream of a building that will enable us to live our monastic life and serve the needs of those around us without the distraction of an aging building too large for our current situation. We enjoy the many new conveniences and also feel at home with many features brought from the former building. We move about our new monastery with grateful hearts. Sincerely, Sister Elise Forst Table of Contents 4 In Loving Memory 12 GEM Scholars Soar 6 Praying the Rosary 14 Employees and Oblates 8 Sister Therese 15 Sister Judith Teaches Adult Students 10 Four Sisters, One Calling 16 News Briefs In Loving Memory Joyce Tuttle Bessie M. Stirling Joyce Tuttle, age 89, passed away May 5, 2019 at the Bessie M. Stirling, age 94, passed away on October 31, 2019 Heritage Hall Center in Centralia, MO. at BSA Hospice of the Southwest in Amarillo, TX. Bessie was born November 1, 1924 in Tucson, Arizona to Bessie She made her oblation with Our Lady of Peace Monastery M. and Edward Hernandez. in Columbia, MO on July 10, 1994 and transferred her oblation to St. Scholastica Monastery when Our Lady of Bessie enjoyed 30 years of marriage to the love of her life, Peace Monastery closed. Jack Stirling, until he passed away in 1981. She worked at AT&T for over 40 years and it was there in 1946 that she Memorial services were held on May 18 at the Holy Spirit met Immaculate (Peggy) Quinto, Bessie’s lifelong friend for Catholic Church in Centralia. over 70 years. Bessie will be remembered for her incredible cooking skills, her care-free and fun way of enjoying life, and her deep compassion for human life and comfort. Paula Louise Howard Bessie is preceded in death by her mother and father, her husband, Jack Stirling, three siblings, and two great nephews. Paula Louise Howard, age 87, passed away on May 27, 2019 She is survived by her best friend, Immaculate (Peggy) in Springfield, Missouri. Paula was born December 4, 1931. Quinto, and many nieces and nephews. She made her oblation in Springfield on May 17, 2009. She made oblation at St. Benedict Monastery in Canyon, A Funeral Mass was held on May 30 at St. Joseph Catholic TX and transferred to St. Scholastica when St. Benedict Church in Springfield, MO. Monastery closed. A Funeral Mass was held on November 6 at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Amarillo, TX. Simply Benedictine 5 raying the rosary is a tradition that goes back over a thousand years and Pembodies the meditation and prayer in union with Jesus’ first follower, his mother, Mary. The ‘crown of roses’ links beads on a string and guides prayer through decades, series of ten Hail Marys. To recite the rosary is to spiritually reflect on the mysteries of Jesus’ life and link them together Praying the through Mary, Mother of God, in order for us to gain insight as we live according to Christ’s calling. Our call to live as Christians, and to embody Rosary within our own lives the love Jesus has for us, is foremost in our faith. It was out of this calling that on August 22 and September 8, 2019, the sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery opened our doors to welcome friends into the Chapel where we prayed the rosary together, in one voice and several languages, for world peace and unity. Just as the beads on the rosary unite the mysteries of Jesus’ life, so is the power of recitation with others an act of unity. Yet even as the word implies, one cannot live ‘in unity’ without acknowledgement of diversity. Fostering a Spirit of The individuals who gathered in our Chapel were not so different than us, yet the diversity among those in attendance was unmistakable, and beautiful. Unity, Hospitality, We humans, born and skewed by the prism of life and earthly dwellings, are the compilation of One God, and in fact united, not divided, by our and Love. diversity. God is the only light, and in our diversity we are unified by our origins to walk different paths, have different perspectives, and to offer different gifts to the world. Coming together, as we are called to do, is an act of love and a marvelous experience. With the call of faith must come an acceptance of our diversity. And so, in our recitation of the rosary together as one, it is a unity of heart for which we prayed; not to be unified, but to accept the unity already among us. We are bound in His light, and the ability to accept our diversity is the ability to see God, the light, in its full, glorious spectrum. May we be at peace with our diversity, and our unity. The Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery look forward to praying the rosary with you at times in the future not yet specified. Until then, in faith and love, may peace and God be with you. A Prayer I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried.